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User blog:TheSlicer/BIONICLE Mary Sue Test
Alright. It's come to my attention that a few people, me included, have become concerned that their characters are, well, Mary Sues. Not all of us are wrong, either--the old version of Nightwatcher was a Mary Sue to a ridiculous level, and Leviathos is also clearly in Mary Sue territory. And that's just the Gigas Magna storyline. Therefore, to judge once and for all whether people's characters are Mary Sues, I have created my own Mary Sue litmus test based on these two, and have included several questions oriented more toward BIONICLE. Keep in mind, as always, that this test is far from perfect--there's a good chance that it is very wrong. Note--this test does not apply to antagonists, and it may not work very well for anti-heroes or villain protagonists either. If your character is either of these, proceed at your own discretion. Ready to take the test? Then here it is: The test #Is your character a crossbreed/hybrid of any kind? 2 #*With all of the advantage of the two derivative species? 2 #**And none of the disadvantages? 2 #Does the character have an unusual, non-negative physical trait that sets him apart from others? 2 #*Does it involve the character's eyes? 1 #*Is it important to the plot? 2 #Does the character habitually share profound wisdom or knowledge? 1 #Do animals instinctively like your character without a plot-related explanation? 1 #Does the character “just know things,” without explanation? 4 #*Does this often help her/him save the day? 1 #Are others' rules bent or broken to accommodate this character in the plot? 3 #Is your character openly violent, yet only toward those whom she/he believes “deserve it?” 2 #Do authority figures treat this character exceptionally harshly or kindly? 2 #Does your character succeed at virtually everything she/he tries? 5 #*Do her/his initial plans, strategies, ideas, etc. always (or nearly always) work? 3 #Has the character never lost in any kind of fight or competition against someone of equal or lesser ability, where the winner was not the character's rival? 4 #Is the character involved in multiple, entirely unrelated forms of plotline (i.e., "Barbie Doll Syndrome")? 4 #Does your character save the day far more often than any of the other main characters? 1 #*Even when there's no good reason why another character wouldn't have been just as capable? 2 #Does your character die heroically? (Any nasty irreversible thing, like becoming brain-dead, counts too.) 3 #*Does everyone mourn the death of your character? 1 #*Is she/he revived by the end of the story? 5 #Does your character come close to dying heroically, yet not die? 2 #Do the antagonists ever take advantage of the character's weaknesses? -2 #*Successfully? -1 #Does the character receive help from higher beings? 4 #*Does she/he eventually become a higher being? 3 #Is your character ever spared by an otherwise-ruthless villain? 3 #*Despite the fact that he/she has already done massive harm to the villain or the villain's forces? 2 #*Because the villain is attracted to your character? 2 #Do all the main characters end up at least grudgingly impressed by your character's skills and/or virtues? (Does not count if they are easily impressed due to their own inexperience.) 4 #*Does your character modestly dismiss or deflect well-earned compliments regarding these? 2 #*Are the only ones who hate the character antagonists, or else envious and spiteful? 2 #Is the character unusually accomplished for her/his group/species/age/place/social status, etc.? 1 #*Is she/he the first or only one to achieve said accomplishment(s)? 2 #*Is she/he accomplished in more than one area? 2 #*Did it take many years for the character to achieve this? -1 #Are there one or more other characters attracted to her/him? 1 #*Are any of them otherwise completely stoic? 2 #*Does anyone ever become instantly attracted to the character? 2 #Does the character ever become instantly attracted to someone else? 2 #*Does the other character become attracted at the same time? 2 #Do you believe your character's actions are justified by... #*A painful past? 3 #*A personality disorder? 3 #Does your character have a job or skill that is discouraged or forbidden among her/his group/species/etc.)? 3 #Is your character impervious to the normal weaknesses of her/his species? 4 #Has the character ever experienced amnesia? 1 #*If/when your character discovers his/her past, will he/she not like it? 2 #*If/when your character discovers his/her past, will she/he learn that she/he is actually someone of great importance? 3 #Does the character have eyes that reflect her/his personality traits? 2 #Is the character the last surviving member of a race/group/family, etc., or does she/he believe she/he is? 2 #Has the character been estranged from her/his race/group/family, etc.? 1 #*Has she/he been forcibly banished? 2 #Has the character ever been the sole survivor of a calamity? 3 #Does the character often angst about something that occurred in the past? 2 #*Does the character blame her/himself for it? 2 #**Despite evidence that it wasn't her/his fault? 1 #Does the character constantly consider any or all of her/his talents/abilities curses? 3 #*Simply because it creates enemies for her/him? -1 #Does the character have an unusual animal familiar that plays a role in the plot? 2 #Is the character consistently irreverent or radical, without repercussions? 3 #Are the only characters with whom she/he does not get along the antagonists? 3 #Does the character have one or more significant personality flaws? -2 #*That get her/him into trouble? -2 #Does she/he ever easily learn a difficult skill? 4 #Does the character have a clone or duplicate? 3 #*Is the duplicate a rival of the main character? 2 #*Is your character neither the original nor above-average in prowess? -4 #Is the character of above-average intelligence? 1 #*Is she/he a genius? 1 #Is the character the sole or one of the last practitioners of a particular field of any sort? 3 #*Do the other practitioners die through the course of the story? 1 #Does the character have a powerful Kanohi or weapon that has solved problems for her/him? 3 #*Does its power have notable downsides? -1 #Does the character discover new abilities when in need of them? 5 #Do any of the antagonists have an obsession with finding/killing the character? 3 #*For no apparent reason? 3 #Does the character control powers unusual for her/his species without the aid of any Kanohi, tools, etc., or powers sufficient to destroy entire armies (Makuta power level or higher)? 8 #*Do her/his powers specifically counter those of the antagonist(s)? 2 #*Do non-antagonist characters see her/his power as a threat? 3 #*Do her/his powers make your character essentially invulnerable? 4 #*Is her/his power significantly limited, and does it have a major cost or other notable downsides? -2 #*Are some or all of these powers ever taken from her/him permanently? -2 #*Does she/he have powerful psionic or prophetic abilities? 3 #**If the power is prophecy, are the character's predictions sometimes incorrect? -1 #*Does she/he control any legendary powers (life, time, creation, and their main derivatives)? 4 #**Are there others with these abilities? -1 #*Is your character the most powerful character in the story? 5 #**For its entire duration? 2 #If/when your character receives new power, is she/he happier this way? 3 #*Do others like your character better? 2 #Is the character sometimes or often selfishly manipulative? -1 #Is the character repeatedly rivaled by the same person? 3 #Does the character reform a villainous character? 3 #Does the character die in her/his beloved's arms? 2 #Does the character's beloved die in her/his arms? 2 #Does the character have a nickname or pseudonym you consider cool? 1 #Is the character your self-MOC? 1 #*Do you frequently create new forms for her/him? 1 #**Do these physical changes always accompany increases in power? 1 #Is the character named after you (this includes your first, middle, and last names, and any nicknames)? 2 #Does the character hold political, social, or religious ideals you agree with? 3 #*Does the character ever convince others of the truth of these? 2 #Do you often wish you could be in the position of your character? 2 #*Is this the reason you created her/him? 2 #Ideally, would you always have the character win? 4 #Do you feel insulted, attacked, or defensive when someone does not like your character? 2 #*If people don't like your character, do you believe it's just because they don't "get" her/him? 1 #*Do you feel that this test has insulted or attacked you or your character? 1 Scores 0-10: Unless you did your math wrong, you have created an Anti-Sue, Miss Sue's evil twin. This character will probably need to be spiced up a little to maintain readers' interest. 11-20: The Non-Sue, a healthy, balanced, original character. Congratulations! 21-29: Borderline Sue. You should be careful, lest you slip into the fiendish realm of Sueishness. Still, you're doing well. Good work. 30-45: Probably a Mary Sue. There's still a chance you can save this character, but be ver-ry careful. It may bite. 46-60: Uber-Sue. You should consider a major makeover. Like, seriously. 61-100: Irredeemable Sue. KILL IT WITH FIRE! 101+: I hope this is a parody character. If not, either you're very bad at math or you have created an ULTIMATE SUE. Beware: creating this character is likely to result in complete insanity and/or head asplosions. If you've somehow managed to do this unintentionally, then please—Stop. Writing. Now. Category:Blog posts